On Thursday, a chief magistrates’ court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, remanded a 30-year-old woman, Mercy Michael, in a detention facility for allegedly killing her daughter using rat poison.
Michael was charged by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) with culpable homicide, in violation of Section 189 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law.
The NSCDC prosecutor, Mr Marcus Audu, informed the court that on December 11, a man named Godfrey Sunday from Fadia Bakut, Zonkwa, reported the incident to the Corps’ office.
Audu revealed that on December 10, the defendant inexplicably administered rat poison to her eight-month-old daughter.
He explained that the baby was immediately taken to the General Hospital in Zonkwa but tragically succumbed the next day.
According to him, the case was initially reported to the Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Kafanchan before being referred to the NSCDC for further investigation.
Presiding judge Mr Samson Kwasu did not allow the accused to enter a plea due to a lack of jurisdiction.
Kwasu instructed the prosecutor to submit the case file to the State Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
He subsequently adjourned the case until December 17 for further mention.